Secure your vacant property with live-in guardians
Vacant properties are highly vulnerable to vandalism, trespassing, squatting and unnoticed maintenance issues. Our Property Guardians service secures empty buildings by placing carefully vetted guardians on-site, providing a visible human presence that protects your asset 24/7. By turning empty space into active occupancy, VPS Guardians helps property owners reduce security risks, maintain buildings in good condition and control the costs associated with vacancy.
From residential buildings and offices to retail units and public sector assets, our guardianship model provides a flexible and cost-effective alternative to traditional security. We’re a leading supplier of security-by-occupation and are proud to be members of the PGPA – Property Guardian Providers Association. PGPA Members must ensure all occupied properties meet safety standards and regulations and subject properties to independent audits carried our by Fire Safety Officers.
Combining our commitment to positive social value impact with providing full-service security solutions for clients at every stage of the property lifecycle, we secure vacant properties by providing residential and commercial accommodation to our trusted Guardian community.
What are Property Guardians?
Property Guardians are responsible individuals who live or work within a vacant building under a licence agreement. Their presence provides continuous oversight, helping to deter unauthorised access while ensuring the property remains active and monitored. By keeping buildings occupied, the risk of vandalism, squatting, theft and deterioration is significantly reduced. Guardians also provide an early warning for issues such as leaks, damage or maintenance problems that might otherwise go unnoticed in empty properties.
Guardians typically occupy buildings for several weeks or months, depending on the property owner’s requirements and future plans for the site.
Visible deterrence
A lived-in building is far less attractive to intruders. Guardians create a constant presence that helps deter vandalism, theft and unauthorised access.
Reduced security costs
Vacant property security can be expensive. Property Guardians offer a cost-effective solution compared with traditional guarding while still delivering a strong human presence.
Protection from hidden risks
Empty buildings are vulnerable to problems such as burst pipes, leaks or damage that may go unnoticed for long periods. Guardians living on-site help identify and report issues quickly.
Social value
Property guardianship gives unused buildings a temporary purpose while providing affordable accommodation opportunities for responsible professionals.
How the Property Guardian service works
We’ll support you every step of the way:
1. Site assessment
Our specialists assess your vacant property to understand risks, layout and suitability for guardianship.
2. Property preparation
We ensure the building meets safety and compliance requirements before guardians move in.
3. Guardian placement
VPS carefully selects suitable guardians from our community of vetted professionals and places them within the property.
4. Ongoing management
We’ll manage the ongoing property inspections, guardian liaison and compliance monitoring, ensuring the building remains secure.
Carefully selected guardians
All Property Guardians go through a rigorous vetting and selection process before placement. This typically includes:
- Identity verification
- DBS checks
- Two years of references
- Employment and income verification – guardians must earn over £16,000 annually
- Credit history checks
- Character and reference assessments
This process ensures that only responsible, reliable individuals are selected to live within your property.
Suitable for a wide range of properties
Property Guardians can help secure many types of vacant buildings, including:
- Residential developments
- Offices and commercial buildings
- Retail units
- Healthcare and education facilities
- Public sector and local authority buildings
Whether a property is awaiting redevelopment, sale or new tenants, guardians provide a practical and effective way to keep it secure.
Visit The VPS Property Guardians Website
If you have a vacant property that needs protection, our experts can help you implement a Property Guardians solution tailored to your building.
Contact VPS today to find out how guardianship can protect your property while reducing the risks and costs associated with vacancy.
0330 005 5300
Better Security Starts Now.
Our team of security experts are on hand and ready to discuss your vacant property and asset protection needs.
Our Accreditations
VPS Group business units Nexus and VPS Site Security are approved by the SIA. Within the Approved Contractor Scheme (ACS) for Security Guarding, Key Holding and CCTV.
SIA approval – Nexus and VPS Site Security
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Frequently Asked Questions
A: At VPS, we believe that technology monitors, but people protect. Human Intervention bridges the gap between threat detection and immediate action. While cameras spot an issue, our boots-on-the-ground presence provides an active, physical deterrent that proactively and reactively denies crime. A human presence is often the ultimate deterrent for high-value assets and is critical for satisfying strict insurance compliance requirements on high-risk or vacant properties.
A: Absolutely. VPS Group business units (including Nexus and VPS Site Security) are fully approved by the Security Industry Authority (SIA) under the Approved Contractor Scheme (ACS) for Security Guarding, Key Holding, and CCTV. Every officer we deploy is fully vetted, highly trained, and licensed to the highest industry standards.
A: Manned Guarding provides a dedicated, static, and continuous (often 24/7) physical presence on your site, which is ideal for high-risk assets, busy access gates, or complex projects. Mobile Security Services offer a highly cost-effective alternative for sites that don’t require permanent presence. Our mobile teams conduct randomised, high-impact internal and external inspections, act as primary keyholders, and provide immediate on-site alarm response.
A: Property Guardianship is a “Security by Occupation” model that turns an empty building liability into a secured, lived-in asset. We place strictly vetted, reliable professionals into vacant commercial or residential properties. This creates a natural, round-the-clock deterrent against squatting and vandalism at a fraction of traditional security costs, while ensuring early identification of maintenance issues like leaks or damp.
A: Thanks to our national footprint and dedicated keyholding response infrastructure, we can respond to sudden site security emergencies rapidly. For mobile alarm responses and keyholding emergencies, our units aim for a prompt on-site arrival, averaging 50 minutes nationwide. For short-notice static manned guarding requests, our scale allows us to mobilise licensed officers far faster than standard industry notice periods.
A: Accountability is central to our customer service. Our mobile security officers and guards utilise digital patrol logging software. Every external perimeter check, internal inspection, and gate lock/unlock event is logged digitally with near real-time updates and transparent reporting. This data is made available to you directly, ensuring you have clear proof of presence and comprehensive visibility over site checks, utility tracking, or identified hazards.